Drying apparatus



Jun 8, 1 4 w. c. HERBERT, JR

DRYING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 18, 1950 ESCAPE VAL v5 m a m m 0 A PRESSURE CUTOUT REGULATOR All? COCK $77? INER IN V EN TOR.

William 0. flerer? J]? M J'UW'M A TTOR/VE).

Patented June 8, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRYING APPARATUS William 0. Herbert, Jr., Freepor't, N. Y. Application August 18, 1950, Serial No. 180,195

3 Claims. 1

This invention is an improvement in drying apparatus for thus treating fibrous or other material of more or less length by subjecting it continuously in successive sections to a drying action.

An important object of this invention is to provide drying apparatus to be so used with transmitting mechanism for keeping the material in motion that the drying commences as soon as the transmitting apparatus is set into operation; and continues as long as such operation is not interrupted, but automatically ceases as soon as such operation is suspended or stops.

Another object is to provide drying apparatus comprising a member so disposed and controlled that it is automatically swung into proper position to treat the material when the transmission mechanism begins working and is kept in such relation to the material while the operation of the transmission mechanism is maintained; and automatically shifted out of position when the operation of the transmission mechanism terminates.

A further object is to provide drying apparatus of this character which is relatively simple in design, inexpensive to produce and install and certain at all times to give the desired results.

The nature and advantages of the invention are fully explained in the ensuing description, and the novel features are defined in the claims. On the drawings the preferred embodiments of the apparatus are illustrated, but alteration in structure can be made in various minor respects without deviation from the essential design in which the invention resides.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 shows in section a construction embodying the invention; and

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views showing details.

Figure 1 shows the web 3 3 in transmission through a casing or oven 33, with hoods 6 containing heaters above and below the web. The hoods have arms 35 fixed to their ends by screws 36 and each arm is mounted on a pivot 37 attached to a bracket 38. The outer ends of these arms are pinned, each to a link 39, which are in turn pinned each to one end of a rock bar 40, that is pinned at i! to the connecting rod 42 of the piston in the power cylinder 33. The rod of the piston extends through a leakprcof bearing in the bottom of the casing 33. Between the pin 4! and the link 33 of the upper heater, the lever 46 is supported on a fixed pivot 46 mounted inside the casing 33, The cylinder 43 is on the outside of the casing. Adjacent each hood are doors 46 with spring hinges to keep them shut. When the hoods swing to the dot-and dash line positions, they engage these doors and open them. When the piston I 5 is in lowermost position the heaters are held close to the web 34 but when the piston is impelled towards the casing 33, the lever 43 is swung counterclockwise on the pivot 44, and both hoods 3 are then shifted away from the web I and the doors t3 are forced open to liberate the heat in the oven 33.

In the oven are longitudinal bars 47, T-shaped in cross-section, at the middle of the height of the oven, and adjacent both front and rear vertical faces. At the top and bottom are longitudinalv angle bars 33, and the bars 41 and 48 are joined at the ends by vertical angle bars 49. In the ends or" the oven 33 are apertures 50 at the level of the bars 2-! and the web 34 enters and leaves the oven through these apertures. The walls of the oven appear in section on Figure 2, but the bars all, 48, and 49 are all illustrated; those on the side of the oven towards the observer and those behind them. The web thus runs between the T bars 4.7, and the pivot 44 is affixed to one of the bars ll. The hoods 6 can have arms 35 and brackets 38 at both ends, and the arms 35 of each hood 5 can be rigidly connected to each other with the link 39 pinned to one of the arms 35. Each pair of bars 4i and 48 can be joined by horizontal bars, not shown, at right angles to these bars. The rod 42 is pinned to the rod of the piston l5 as shown at 52. Other connections between the power cylinder and the heaters, arranged to give the same result, can be employed.

The power unit 63 is supplied with pressure fluid through a conduit 23, and branch pipes 2| leading each to one end of the cylinder 43. At the junction of these pipes is a casing 53 containing a valve controlled by the solenoid 21 in the electrical circiut 23 of an electric motor, not shown. The pipe 23 contains the usual strainer, shut-ofi valve, pressure regulator and gauge or pressure indicator.

The casing 53 has an exhaust pipe 54, and the solenoid 21 is enclosed in a casing 55 in communication with one end of the valve casing 53 through a pipe 55. The supply pipe 20 is connected to the casing 55 under the solenoid by a branch pipe 51 and to the other end of the casing 53 by another branch pipe 58. The pipe 56 is controlled by a valve 59 in the casing 55, the stem of this valve being the plunger of the solenoid, and a spring 33 encircling said stem normally holds the valve 53 shut.

The casing 53 contains a large piston valve 6| in the end connected to the casing 55, and a small piston valve 62 in the opposite end. These two valves are rigidly united by a rod 63. The bore in the part of the casing occupied by the valve 6| is larger than the bore of the remainder of the casing, the two bores forming a shoulder Ed in the casing which acts as a stop for the large valve 6|. The exhaust pipe 54 connects with the smaller bore adjacent the shoulder 64; the pipe 2! leading to the upper end of the cylinder es connects with the larger bore of the casing 53; and the other pipe 2| joined to the lower end of the cylinder 43 communicates with the smaller bore of the casing near the closed end thereof. In the pipe 2| leading to the upper part of the cylinder 63 is a valve casing 65 containing a threaded valve stem 66 with outside hand knob, and inside thinned end 61 to control a vent or bleeder opening 63.

When the electric motor is running and the electrical circuit is closed, the solenoid 2'! holds the valve 69 open and the power fluid flows through the pipe 51, casing 55, pipe 56 and upper conduit 2! to depress the piston 55. When the motor is idle, the piston i is up in the cylinder 43 and bar ie is held inclined in the opposite direction. The downward movement of the piston pulls on the lever 48! and pushes the arm of the lower hood '5 down to raise this hood, and the upper hood 9 is lowered by the other bar 35 and link 33, which are pushed up by the piston l5. At this time air in the lower end of the cylinder escapes through the pipe 54. The valves 8! and 62 are depressed by the heavier pressure on the large valve 6!, and both ports of the pipes 2| in the cylinder 43 are open. The bar 99 and piston rods of course clear the ends of the hoods 6. Some air may escape at the vent E9, and the valve 66 regulates the pressure in the upper part of the cylinder, and in fact only a little pressure is needed; for the weights of the two hoods 9 and their connections about the balance each when the hoods are close to the web 33.

When the motor stops and the circuit is open, the solenoid 21' is de-energized and the valve 59 closes. The pressure of the air through the pipe 59 on the valve 62 now lifts both valves, because the bleeder opening 38 in the escape valve casing relieves the pressure in the valve casing 53 over the valve 9|. communication with the valve casing 53 and the upper pipe 2! into communication with the exhaust pipe 54. The piston I5 is thus forced upward, and the bar 49 rotated counterclockwise to swing both hoods to the dot-and-dash line position away from the web 33.

The apparatus can also be utilized to dry sheets as well as rolls, when the sheets are supported to and actuated by transmission mechanism follow one another in succession past the heaters 9. The drying will proceed as long as the electric motor revolves, and the heaters will be swung away from the material as before whenever the motor stops.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

1. Apparatus comprising a member for drying sheet material, to be moved by transmitting means past said member and in proximity thereto, a power unit having connections to said mem- The lower pipe 2| is thus put into her, a casing, a valve therein, a conduit to supply a power medium to said valve casing, conduits connecting the valve casing to said unit, said valve casing having an exhaust .port, and a solenoid in said circuit controlling said valve, said casing having bores of unequal size, said valve havin heads united to each other and fitting said bores, said exhaust port being between said heads, the solenoid having a casing enclosing it and a pipe connecting the casing for the sole noid to the large bore at one end of the valve casing, a valve in the solenoid casing for said pipe, the supply conduit having a branch connecting it to the solenoid casing and another branch connecting it to the opposite end of the valve casing, one of the conduits between said unit and said valve casing having an escape valve controlling a bleeder opening therein.

2. Drying apparatus for an oven having openings in its opposite ends for the entrance and exit of a web of sheet material, to be moved by operating means through said oven, a drying member in said oven above said web, a second drying member in said oven under said web, means for pivotally mounting said members to swing towards and away from said web, a pneumatic power unit, connections between said unit and said members and a device dependent upon said operating means to control said unit, so that said unit swings said members towards the web when the material is in motion, and away from said material when the motion thereof ceases, said oven having normally closed spring hinged doors adjacent said members actuated thereby to be opened by said members when they are moved away from the web.

3. Drying apparatus for an oven having openings in its opposite ends for the entrance and exit oi a web of sheet material to be moved by operating means through said oven, a drying member in said oven above said web, a second drying member in said oven under said web, means for pivotally mounting said members to swing towards and away from said web, a pneumatic power unit, connections between said unit and said members and a device dependent upon said operating means to control said unit, so that said unit swings said members towards the web when the material is in motion, and away from said material when the motion thereof ceases, said connections comprising a rock bar having a pivot mounting it on said oven, the power unit being joined to said bar, each member having a fixed arm thereon, and links connectin each fixed arm to said bar at its opposite ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,127,956 Helmer Aug. 23, 1938 2,262,173 Fischer Nov. 11, 1941 2,315,124 Luzius Mar. 30, 1943 2,325,950 Greene et al. Aug. 3, 1943 2,409,431 Hess Oct. 15, 1946 2,420,399 New May 13, 1947 2,479,913 Doyle Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 644,639 Germany June 14, 1937 

